If the US Supreme Court grants a petition for writ of certiorari, the justices decide whether to hear oral arguments, and assign research tasks to their law clerks. The Clerk of Court places the case on the docket, schedules oral arguments (if applicable), and notifies the attorneys for the parties so they can prepare merit and reply briefs.
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A writ of certiorari is a form of judicial review where a court is asked to consider a legal decision of a lower court, an administrative tribunal, judicial office, or organization (eg: government) and to decide if the decision made by the inferior body has been regular and complete, or if there has been an error of law, and if the tribunal had the power to make the decision complained of, or whether the tribunal exceeded its powers in issuing the decision complained about.
For example, a certiorari may be used to wipe out a decision of an administrative tribunal which was made in violation of the rules of common law, such as a failure to give the person affected by the decision an opportunity to be heard.
Therefore: If the court denies certiorari, then it has ruled that, in its opinion, it has no need (or perhaps no jurisdiction) to review or examine the matter at hand.
If the U.S. Supreme Court denies a petition for a writ of certiorari (a request to hear a case on appeal), then the decision of the lower court is final.
Denial of certiorari occurs in 98-99% of cases, and in no way implies that the court agrees with the lower court's decision. Denial only means that the case, as presented, isn't of sufficient importance to warrant a review, doesn't involve constitutional issues, conforms to a precedent already set, falls outside the court's jurisdiction, or is moot, etc.
Between 7,500 and 8,500 cases are presented for review each year, but the court can only choose 80-150 to hear, so the Justices have to limit themselves to those cases that have the greatest impact on the law and on society.
A writ of certiorari
The Court grants certiorari to the petitioner, and issues a writ of certiorari to the lower court, asking for the case files.
When an application (or appeal of some case in a lower court) to the Supreme Court is denied, it is called certiorari denied. In fact, it means that the Supreme Court refuses to accept the application or appeal and will not judge on it
The formal request is called a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari.The Court grants certiorari to the petitioner, and issues a writ of certiorari to the lower court, asking for the case files.Most cases are appealed to the US Supreme Court by a petition for a writ of certiorari, which is a request that the justices accept review of the case and issue a writ of certiorari, or order to the lower courts to send all trial and appellate records to the Supreme Court. Review of an appeal is not a right; the justices grant certiorari at their discretion.Appellate courts may also issue a writ of error, which is an order to release the trial record of an adjudicated case. This is most often sent from an intermediate appellate court to the court of original jurisdiction.
US Supreme Court cases are initiated when a minimum of four justices agree to grant a petition for writ of certiorari.